In many industrial applications power driven rotary brushes or buffs of various lengths are required and these are sometimes formed by stacking brush or buff rings on a drive arbor and compressing and locking them in place. The replacement of a damaged portion, or one or more rings, or a change in axial length, requires significant process or machine downtime. In fact, manipulation of relatively large brush rolls generally requires removal from the machine and manipulation on special jigs, stands or presses.
Also in many industrial applications fluids are also involved in addition to the brushing or cleaning operation, whether it be coolants, slurries, or just plain water in less aggressive process or machine applications such as fruit or vegetable cleaning or waxing. In such applications the fruit may be sprayed or washed as it tumbles or rolls between brushes.
While the drive arbor may be metal, such as a tube, pipe or shaft, it is preferable that the cylindrical brush segments be corrosion immune plastic and be capable of being quickly and easily assembled on the arbor, and when assembled protecting the interior against fluid intrusion. It is also important that the brush or buff assembly be formed of few common parts which can easily be assembled or disassembled with conventional tools such as small rubber mallets, all at substantially reduced cost.